


five times tsukishima kei blushed and one time he didn't

by FrazzledDragon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Bokuto Koutarou is a Good Friend, Bugs & Insects, Cute, F/M, Getting Together, Inappropriate Behavior, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, M/M, Misunderstandings, Scary Movies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrazzledDragon/pseuds/FrazzledDragon
Summary: Exactly what it says on the tin 😊
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou & Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou & Tsukishima Kei, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 158





	five times tsukishima kei blushed and one time he didn't

Tsukishima Kei was not one to blush. He simply…  _ didn’t _ . There was basically nothing in this universe that would bring him to embarrassment before irritation, after all, and his quick wit often saved him. He simply saw it as a waste of energy and time to blush.

That said, it wasn’t as though he  _ never _ blushed. That was physically impossible, as Tsukishima would be willing to tell you, should you catch him blushing. It wasn't his fault, and if he had a choice, he'd never blush.

The movie wasn't, actually, the lamest movie Tsukishima had ever watched with Yamaguchi. It was well shot, with fairly good acting and some quality writing. The fact that it was a thriller only made it better, as Tsukishima found movies without lots of tension to be dull.

Yamaguchi, despite his immense anxiety in basically every situation,  _ loved _ scary movies. He jumped at everything, screamed at all the right parts, but absolutely adored every second of it. The smiles he gave Tsukishima were blinding.

Tsukishima did not jump. He did not react. He did not gasp. He watched movies with a constant gaze and a relaxed body. Regardless of the genre, regardless if it was the scariest movie around, Tsukishima did not jump.

Except for today.

They were just reaching the climax of the movie, the breaking point of the whole plot, when the protagonist, who was prone to seizures, had a seizure. Their best friend, who throughout the movie had been helping them as much as they could with their seizures, had just died tragically, and the protagonist was left, seizing on their own.

Then, the enemy, one of the creepiest monsters Tsukishima had ever had the displeasure of watching, slowly crept forward and helped the protagonist, all the while bearing the creepiest smile.

It was genuinely one of the most disturbing scenes in the movie, and Tsukishima felt his lip curl.

Then, the monster ripped the protagonist's heart out of their chest. And Tsukishima Kei, stoic and fearless, jumped.

And blushed immediately, as Yamaguchi's delighted 1000 watt smile was aimed directly at him. "This is the best movie ever!" He cried out, giggling. "It made you jump!"

"No, it didn't," Tsukishima lied, which only made his blush worse. If jumping at the movie wasn't bad enough, Yamaguchi's attention was making him blush, meaning he had now done two of his least favorite things, right in a row.

"Liar!" Yamaguchi sang, squirming in his seat. "Look at your face! It's so red, I can see it in the dark!"

Tsukishima grumbled, trying to will his cheeks back to their normal pale.

"That was pretty scary though, huh Tsukki?" Yamaguchi's smile was now directed at the TV. "I wasn't expecting that ending either!"

“I didn’t jump. And I’m not blushing.”

Yamaguchi giggled. “Of course, Tsukki.”

Spiders were fine. Tsukishima didn’t mind them. He didn’t particularly enjoy spiders crawling on him, but that was a mildly unpleasant sensation at best. 

Scorpions, too, were of no bother to the tall middle blocker. Nor were centipedes, worms, moths, flies, cockroaches or beetles. Really, any bug, arachnid or insect, was fine.

With one, sole exception.

They were in a bug garden. It was tropical and beautiful, warm compared to the winter weather outside. It was refreshing to smell the flowers and see some vibrant colors - there were no dead plants here. Tsukishima went a little crossed-eyed, trying to look at the butterfly that landed on the nose-piece of his glasses.

It'd been Yamaguchi’s idea to come to the indoor garden. A nice, cheap vacation, he’d said. Tsukishima had dragged his feet, but, eventually, upon discovering that one of the bugs in the garden had seen little change in appearance or anatomy since the time of the dinosaurs, he’d agreed.

Yamaguchi had wanted to sketch a little - he was taking a drawing class right now, and he got extra credit points toward his final grade if he filled a sketchbook full of doodles by the end of the year. So they were comfortably sat on a small wooden bench, watching the bug-life thrive around them, enjoying the damp warmth of the indoor garden, smelling the flowers, and listening to the bubbling of the water feature behind them.

Tsukishima wasn’t sure how long they’d been sitting when Yamaguchi looked up, at Tsukishima (which wasn’t as much work as it used to be, Tsukishima noted with a little discomfort - when did Yamaguchi get so damn tall? Is this how Akiteru felt?) and burst out laughing.

Blinking in irritation (Yamaguchi  _ knew  _ he didn’t like feeling left out on the joke), he waited with an eyebrow raised until Yamaguchi managed to control himself. Granted, the butterfly wasn’t interested in dismounting from his glasses, so he supposed that that sight would be a little startling, but the insect had been there since before Yamaguchi started doodling. It shouldn’t have surprised him  _ this _ much.

Yamaguchi pointed to his shoulder. “You’ve made a friend!” He giggled, adorably delighted by whatever it was on Tsukishima’s shoulder.

When he turned to see what creature had decided that the scrawny, beanpole of a teenager would be its perch, Tsukishima Kei squawked like a bird and jumped half a foot in the air, swatting the poor, innocent praying mantis from its once-comfy perch on Tsukishima’s favorite sweatshirt and startling the even more innocent butterfly from his glasses by knocking them off of his face onto the ground. 

Now, he couldn’t see, he was discomforted, alarmed, mildly frightened, and entirely too blind for his own safety, and Yamaguchi was  _ cackling _ . The blush rose fast and hot on his cheeks, overtaking his face and his ears and his neck in  _ seconds _ . 

He wanted to disappear immediately.

“You’re scared of praying mantises?” Yamaguchi wheezed, only garnering a little forgiveness from Tsukishima when he handed him his now butterfly-free glasses without prompting. 

“They’re creepy,” he muttered in his self-dignified way, trying to ignore the blush in hopes that it would sulk and leave him alone like a spoiled child that didn’t get as many birthday presents as they were expecting. “And they eat one another.”

Which only sent Yamaguchi giggling again. “That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Tsukishima growled. 

“Sorry, Tsukki. But it’s still funny.”

The game was against a team they had never played before, a frequent practice opponent of Nekoma’s, and Tsukishima concluded that if he never had to play, see, hear from, or be reminded of the existence of any member of this team again, it would be way too soon.

It wasn’t that they were bad players, or even bad people, really. They just had  _ no _ sense of social boundaries whatsoever. They made Kiyoko cry and made Yachi have a genuine panic attack within five minutes of being in the same room, through (presumably) well-intended compliments and unnecessarily physical affection.

They had been quite apologetic when they realized the implications of their actions, but the damage had been done. Nishinoya and Tanaka had sworn the most sinister revenge, Takeda had been scrambling to get a female adult to come talk to the two managers, and Hinata’s teeth hadn’t stopped chattering in fear until he slammed his first quick of the game.

There was one player in particular that had wormed his way quite efficiently underneath Tsukishima’s skin. Tall, brown hair and piercing, searching brown eyes, #8, a middle blocker, seemed determined to piss Tsukishima off.

At first, it was just lingering looks. Looks that stayed on parts of Tsukishima’s anatomy that weren’t normally ogled so blatantly. His gaze would track up his legs if he bent down for anything, would trail appreciatively down his torso after he jumped a block, and Tsukishima would have to quickly yank his shirt down, just to ensure that his staring would be for nothing. 

Tsukishima had flipped him off a couple times, which only lead #8 to burst out laughing, and did nothing to stop that ogling.

Then, it was comments when Tsukishima made a play. “Nice job, Blondie,” and “So intimidating and sexy,” and “Slap my ass like you spiked that ball,” all of which Tsukishima had snarky comments for. None of these were particularly creative, after all, and it didn’t take much effort to ignore the implications. He said, “You make it easy,” and “And you’re neither,” and “You wish.”

But, then the comments started spilling into whenever Tsukishima was on the court.

“Give the ball to the hot babe!” This was directed at Kageyama, who was so startled and confused that he almost missed the set all together.

“Oi, Kagami, do you see #11’s legs? He has me drooling!”

Tsukishima wondered what went wrong with his wiring to make him believe that that sort of behavior would get him a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or friends.

But it all went downhill pretty rapidly in the second half.

Karasuno was winning - that wasn’t what went wrong. What went wrong is what happened when it was Yamaguchi’s turn to serve and Tsukishima was at the net, hands up by his head - not protecting it, he trusted Yamaguchi, just hovering - and #8 was across the net from him, up close when he jumped back, watching #8’s hand reach for his crotch.

Tsukishima felt his whole body go red and hot. He’d never been so uncomfortable in his own skin, and about cried in relief when the ref, having seen the whole exchange, called a technical timeout. #8 was kicked out of the gym, and Ukai benched him for the rest of the game, but it wasn’t until Yamaguchi spoke to him that he started to feel at home in his skin again.

“Tsukki, you okay?”

He’d nodded, because no one would see him weak, but Yamaguchi’s hand slid into his nonetheless. “You don’t have to be. It’s just me.”

He nodded again. He knew that. That was Yamaguchi’s promise.

“I’ll kick his ass.” Tsukishima found that he didn’t doubt him, despite his inherently non-violent and non-confrontational nature. He squeezed his hand tighter.

“Get in line.”

Yamaguchi giggled softly, bumping his shoulder into his.

Coach Ukai yelled at him for not mentioning the abuse before that, and Daichi was constantly apologizing and Asahi was panicking and Nishinoya was about ready to commit first degree murder, and even Hinata and Kageyama tried to help, but none of them helped more than Yamaguchi.

“You… You’re not going to quit volleyball, right?” He’d asked, quietly, his brow furrowed.

Tsukishima only had to think about it for a moment. “No.”

Yamaguchi smiled, and Tsukishima felt comfortable warmth sink into his skin, like he was sitting in the sun. “Good. I don’t know if I could do this without you.”

The girl was small and sweet, but had never spoken to Tsukishima before this point. He didn’t know her name, and though she had probably said it, he didn’t care enough to recall it. She confessed her undying love to him (really, they were first-years, neither of them had even the slightest clue about love) and as much as he made it a show of it being difficult, it was the easiest decision of his life to turn her down. 

It’s not anything she did or didn’t do, he was just  _ completely _ uninterested. She wasn’t his type, her voice was too high-pitched, they didn’t appear to have anything in common, and again, she’d never spoken to him before that moment. How could someone love another without knowing anything more about them than their name? All in all, Tsukishima chalked it up to teenage hormones, and promptly put it out of his mind.

That is, until Yamaguchi asked him about it later that day.

“You got confessed to?!” Yamaguchi asked, basically as soon as they met for lunch. 

Tsukishima sighed. “Yes. I turned her down. Why does everyone sound so surprised?”

“You don’t normally let them get far enough to confess before you turn them down!”

Yamaguchi wasn’t wrong, unfortunately. Tsukishima ducked his head, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I didn't know her. I still don't. I didn't have the chance to stop her ahead of time."

His usual strategy was to listen and find out about the confession ahead of time, and coincidentally dissuade anyone from coming close. That was the miracle of headphones, everyone assumes you couldn't hear them when it was convenient and could hear them when they needed you. He would eavesdrop, then casually mention he hated whatever it was they were talking about in conversation.

If the person loved chocolate, Tsukishima would happen to mention how he loathed it in unnecessarily loud conversation with Yamaguchi.

If the person had long hair, Tsukishima would talk about how long hair isn't as attractive as short hair. Vice versa if they had short hair.

If the person loved books, Tsukishima talked about how books were boring and dull.

It was a system that saved him plenty of time handing out rejections. He wondered sometimes if it was perhaps a hair heartless, but he rationalized it with he would have rejected them regardless, so if it happens before they ever buy the flowers or the chocolates, all the better.

"What was wrong with her?" Yamaguchi asked, his voice just a little too sharp for Tsukishima's comfort. "Was she too  _ thin _ ?"

Tsukishima winced. Yeah, that was not his most thought-out excuse. "No, and you know I didn't mean that." There was no one else in this world he would try to justify his actions too. No one else he would make mistakes around. 

"So, what then? Was it her eyes? Her hair? Her voice? Or maybe it was the fact she's fifteen, just like us, and she doesn't pretend to be anything else?"

Heat rushed his cheeks and his jaw ticks. He adjusted his glasses again, though they didn't need it. "Don't be petty," he snapped, but he didn't really mean that either.

Of course there was something "wrong" with her, and every other person who confessed to him. And there would be, with every single person who tried, unless that person was none other than Yamaguchi Tadashi.

But Tsukishima didn't say that. He just let Yamaguchi walk away.

He hoped Yamaguchi would talk to him tomorrow. He wouldn't push it - he never pushed it, always expecting the day Yamaguchi would leave him behind. It felt more inevitable every day. But nonetheless, his traitorous heart hoped.

Yamaguchi apologized the next day. Tsukishima breathed a sigh of pure relief.

It would seem, though, that fate was getting impatient with Tsukishima Kei. It was as though the universe decided he had passively pined long enough.

A girl confessed to Yamaguchi.

She was a friend of Yachi's, a sweet, tall girl with curly brown hair and warm brown eyes. She was giggly and bright and friendly, and Tsukishima, though he was pretending not to pay attention in the slightest, could tell Yamaguchi liked her. She was confident, but not too much so, and flirty, just enough to make Yamaguchi laugh too.

And he said yes. Yes to a date, yes to dinner, yes to after practice this evening, yes to ice cream. He said yes, and the word echoed around Tsukishima's skull like a tennis ball hit by the strongest tennis player. 

He was expecting it to hurt. He had read enough books and seen enough tv to know that heartbreak hurt. It made sense. He could list off all the chemicals that make up heartbreak. He understood that.

What he wasn't expecting was the nausea. He had never felt so sick while healthy in his whole life. He wasn't expecting the nausea and he wasn't expecting the fog that obscured his focus, and wasn't expecting the thorns that tightened around his heart every time he looked at Yamaguchi.

It wasn't his fault, he  _ knew _ that. Yamaguchi had no idea Tsukishima felt anything more than begrudging affection for him. Which, obviously, was entirely Tsukishima's fault and he knew  _ that _ too. He knew it was childish to be so thorny and mean to everyone around him. He  _ knew _ that, but it was an instinct, a nasty habit he struggled to shake. He wished he could be as sweet and open as Yamaguchi. He just… wasn't. His brain wouldn't let him. His tongue wouldn't let him.

He had been trying. He really had. It was really hard, but for Yamaguchi, he had been  _ trying _ . Trying to be a little less prickly, a little less aggressive. A little less flippant. 

It was all for nothing.

Maybe that's what was making him nauseous. Maybe the failure was getting to him. 

He knew that wasn't true. But it was easier to swallow than the truth. 

The girl, whose name Tsukishima couldn't stomach learning the name of, sat with them at lunch. And she was charming. Tsukishima was not the least bit attracted to her, but even he couldn't deny that she was charismatic. She always seemed to say the perfect things in the most sweet, caring voice. She giggled and blushed at all the right things, touched Yamaguchi's arms or hands or shoulders at all the right beats of the conversation.

Tsukishima hated the way his tongue lashed out at her. The things he said were horrible, but he couldn't stop himself. She took it all in stride, but he could  _ feel _ Yamaguchi simmering with rage next to him.

Tsukishima couldn't recall the last time he was so miserable, and he'd had pneumonia for a week last winter, then strep throat in the spring. He couldn't make himself stop, he just had to _shut_ _the hell up and stop_. 

He wanted the feeling in his chest to go away, and the feeling in his stomach to ease. He didn't eat anything for lunch, and texted Daichi to let him know he'd be missing practice due to illness.

He left lunch early.

Yamaguchi caught him after their last class, a fire raging in his eyes. He grabbed Tsukishima's arm with a grip that did not suggest compromise or disobedience would be options for Tsukishima.

"What the  _ hell _ , Tsukishima?" Yamaguchi hissed, and Tsukishima felt his throat clench. Yamaguchi had  _ neve _ r been this angry at him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, and he was. He adjusted his glasses.

"As if  _ I'm  _ the one you should be apologizing to. What the shit did Yuki do to you? She's been nothing but kind to me, so I'm anxious to hear your excuse."

His arms were crossed, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. Tsukishima wished he would punch him. It would feel better than that glare.

"I don't need an excuse to dislike someone," he skipped, which only made him hate himself more. He _didn't_ dislike her, which was the worst of all. She seemed pleasant and kind and like she would treat Yamaguchi as well as he deserved.

"Yeah, but you sure as shit need one to be rude, Tsukishima." Yamaguchi never swore unless he was so angry that the words spewed out like acid. Same with Tsukishima's whole name. "Especially,  _ especially  _ to the girl I'm going out with. I don't like apologizing for you. This isn't like with Hinata or Kageyama where they know you actually kind of respect them and you have common goals. You don't get to pretend you thought she'd understand you were kidding because you fricking  _ weren't _ ."

Tsukishima wilted a little more. "Just hit me," he muttered. "I deserve it. Get it over with. I won't tell. I know you want to." He needed punched, especially for making Yamaguchi Tadashi so, so angry.

"What the hell?" Yamaguchi squawked, rage growing. " _ Hit you _ \- Tsukishima, I don't need to hit you for you to know I'm pissed off and hurt. And I certainly don't need to resort to violence to feel better. I'm going on a date with a beautiful girl who likes me and is kind and thoughtful. I'm going to have a good time and eat good food. Who knows? Maybe we'll go out again. I don't  _ need _ your damn approval."

If he had been listening closely, Yamaguchi would have been able to listen to Tsukishima Kei's heart shatter. The unspoken words,  _ I don't need you _ , rattled between them.

He nodded, the smallest motion in the world, and turned to walk away.

Yamaguchi turned him back around violently. "No, you don't get to slink away this time because you don't want to admit I'm right!"

So Tsukishima stood there and looked at him square in the eyes, face emotionless and shoulders sagging. He was so tired. He could wait all day.

Where did he have to be?

"Why'd you say any of that to her?" When that didn't get a response, he tried again, shaking him. "What do you have against her?" Again, Tsukishima gave no response. "Do you not want me to have fun? Or be happy?"

Tsukishima shivered, cheeks reddening. "Of course not," he whispered. "I want you to be happy."

"Then what is it, Tsukishima? What makes you think you're entitled to ruin good things for me?"

"Nothing," he mumbled. "I… I am entitled to nothing. I… I'm sorry-"

"Stop apologizing and tell me!" Yamaguchi shouted and Tsukishima flinched. "Tell me why you were so mean to her even though you  _ knew _ she made me happy?"

"Because," he whispered, his eyes welling with tears as his ears burned red. "Because, I want you to be happy with  _ me _ .  _ I _ want to take you on dates. She… I'm jealous of her, Yamaguchi. Now, I'm sorry, but I'm going home."

He walked away unhindered. Yamaguchi didn't follow him.

Just before practice was supposed to start, he got a text from Daichi, wishing him a speedy recovery.

He suspected it would not be a speedy recovery, if he ever recovered at all. Why couldn't he just shut up? Why couldn't he just, for once, not be rude? Why did he have to ruin all of the good things in his life?

He was in such a sorry state, that he texted Bokuto, who had put his and Kuroo’s numbers in his phone while he was distracted. 

_ i know i’m a bad friend but can i talk to u rn _

Bokuto called him a moment later. “What’s up, Tsukki-poo?”

He hated himself for the way his voice cracked. “I’m an idiot.”

“Shit,” Bokuto breathed, before there’s muffled noises on the other end of the line. Tsukishima heard him tell Akaashi to let their coach know he’d be late for practice. “Talk to me, bud. What happened?”

“I forgot you had practice. I’m sorry, we can talk later-” His guilt was suffocating.

“Tell me what’s wrong. You would never ask to talk to me if you didn’t need to, Tsukki. Just… breathe, and talk to me.”

“I messed up… and I… I think… I lost my best friend.”

Bokuto was quiet for a moment. “Freckles, right? The shy kid?”

“Yeah.” Just thinking about him made his chest ache.

“What happened?”

Tsukishima told Bokuto everything, like once he started it was impossible to stop. He was shaking, and his throat was so tight it felt like a miracle he wasn’t crying, but he held nothing back. He told him exactly what he said, exactly how it happened. Told him how Yamaguchi was  _ so, so _ angry with him. How they had never had a fight like that the entire time they had been friends.

“Damn, Tsukki…” Bokuto sighed. “That’s rough, man. But I don’t think that’ll be the end of your friendship, okay? I know things seem terrible right now, and it might be rough for a couple days, but I think you two will be okay. Especially since you were so honest with him, in the end. Jealousy makes us all do things that we don’t like, right? Chances are, Freckles will forgive you once what you said sinks in a little bit. Then, things will go back to normal. Hell, I don’t know the kid at all - he might like you back. You need to breathe and try to think rationally, okay?”

Tsukishima wondered if it was possible that this was the worst timeline.  _ Bokuto Koutarou _ was telling him to relax and think rationally.

“Kuroo is better at this sort of thing, so calling and asking him later might not be the worst idea, but based on what you’ve said, I think it’ll all work out. Maybe go and apologize to his girl before their date? That might help get you off his shitlist at least a little bit.”

Tsukishima nodded, though Bokuto couldn’t see it.

“And just so you know, you’re not a bad friend, Tsukishima. Not to me, not to Freckles, and not to anyone else. You just have a different way of showing your friendship than other people, but there’s nothing wrong with that.”

That made tears spring to his eyes, for reasons he could not name. “Thanks, Bokuto.”

Bokuto laughed. “You’re welcome, bro. Now, go apologize to that girl and maybe take a nap. It sounds like you could use one, okay? If you’re still struggling, call Kuroo around 8pm. That’s when his practice should be over. I’ll text him and let him know to check in on ya. Tell me how it goes tomorrow, okay? And don’t skip anymore practices. I wanna see your scrawny ass at nationals and your team needs you.”

He smiled, just a little. “Okay. Thank you, Bokuto.”

He asked around the other first years, and eventually discovered she participated in a book club. He managed to pull her aside and apologize. She was hesitant to accept his apology at first, but once he promised that Yamaguchi wasn’t making him stand here and do so, she was a little more friendly. Still a little confused, a little defensive, but warmer. By the time he left, she told him goodbye and smiled at him.

He  _ did _ feel a little better by the time he got home. He curled up in his bed and took a nap.

He woke up to his phone ringing. The caller ID said  _ Kuroo _ .

He’s glad he read the ID, because Kuroo does not bother with introductions or greetings of any kind. “Bo says things are rough on your end, Beanpole,” Kuroo’s deep voice purred, a hint of worry in his tone. “How are ya?”

He told Kuroo everything he told Bokuto, and included his apology to Yamaguchi’s girlfriend.

“Bo was right,” Kuroo said. “Everything will be fine. Guaranteed, the first thing they’ll talk about is how you went and apologized. He’ll appreciate that, and besides. Would you hate him forever if your roles were reversed?”

Tsukishima frowned. “Probably not.”

“Then, relax. Trust him. Give him time to process, then test the waters. If he doesn’t want anything to do with you, Bo and I will get some alcohol and you can get black-out drunk with us. If he still wants to be your friend, but doesn’t reciprocate, the offer for drinks still stands. If he reciprocates, well, you won’t need us for that.”

Tsukishima shivered. “I don’t want to even think about that.”

Kuroo chuckled. “Kenma’s been eavesdropping and says he doesn’t think you should even be worried. I hate to admit this out loud, but Kenma’s rarely wrong about these things.”

“Okay.”

“Just don’t stress, okay? Even if things don’t work out with Freckles, Bo and I will still be here. Your team will still be there. You’ll be okay.”

“Okay. Thanks, Kuroo.”

“Anytime, Skinny Jeans.”

Tsukishima hung up quietly, laying back on his bed.

The next day was strange. 

He didn’t walk to school with Yamaguchi. He didn't look at him in class. Didn’t walk the halls with him. Didn’t eat lunch with him. He’s not sure if he’s avoiding Yamaguchi, or if Yamaguchi was avoiding him. Either way, he didn’t interact with Yamaguchi at all until he was heading to practice.

“Tsukishima!” Yamaguchi’s voice called to him, and Tsukishima stopped immediately, tentatively turning to face him. “Yuki said you apologized. For all of it.”

He nodded.

"Did you mean it?”

Tsukishima’s nose crinkled. “Do you think I would have bothered if I didn’t?” That was not what he meant to say - not even a little bit, and his stomach cramped at the sound of them leaving his mouth.

Yamaguchi sighed. “Good.”

Then he wrapped his arms around Tsukishima. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Tsukki.”

Tsukishima turned bright red, awkwardly hugging him back, careful to make sure Yamaguchi could back out easily. “I’m sorry too. About everything.”

Yamaguchi pulls back to smile at him. “I felt really bad when I calmed down. Especially when you didn’t go to practice. I should have known it wasn’t what it looked like. You’d think I’d know that, after being your friend for so long.”

They started walking toward the gym, and though Tsukishima’s heart was delighted that Yamaguchi wasn’t still pissed off at him, he was still nervous about the fact that Yamaguchi hadn’t addressed the elephant in the room, which was, of course, his  _ massive _ crush on Yamaguchi.

Had he not made it obvious enough that he was  _ extremely  _ gay for Yamaguchi?

Would he have to come out again?

He hoped not. That shit was  _ all _ too hard.

“Tsukki?”

He looked over.

“You’re making a face like you’re worried. Everything okay?”

His stomach twisted. “I’m okay.”

“Oh, crap!” Yamaguchi spluttered, grinning at Tsukki. “I forgot! That’s why you’re worried!”

Tsukishima was  _ very _ confused, but he asked, “Forgot?”

“I like you too!” Yamaguchi says brightly. “I had the biggest crush on you, which is why I got so upset when you got all weird about me getting a date! I didn’t understand!”

His heart stopped. His feet stopped too, and he just stared, slack-jawed, at Yamaguchi. “You…”

“Yep!” Yamaguchi giggled. “Do you still want to go out on a date with me?”

A shiver ran down Tsukishima’s spine. “Yes,” he whispered.

As if Yamaguchi could get any cuter or brighter, he grinned, cheeks rosy and freckled and adorable. “Phew!” He said. “I was worried I had accidentally ruined it.”

“Me too,” Tsukishima sighed, finally starting to regain his composure. Only to lose it all over again when Yamaguchi pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Tonight?”

“Okay.”

Next week, practice felt almost normal again. 

Tsukishima had texted Bokuto and Kuroo and thanked them again, telling them it had all worked out. Which prompted Kuroo and Bokuto to text Daichi and Hinata, and soon the whole team was teasing them. 

They were in the middle of scrimmage, which was nice because the others didn’t have time to tease while they were busy playing. It was Yamaguchi’s turn to serve.

It was a beautiful jump float and the receive was shaky. Kageyama set to the middle, where Hinata was waiting. Tsukishima kill-blocked it easily. 

Yamaguchi, ecstatic that they had won the set, charged him and kissed him right on the lips, right in front of everyone. 

Tsukishima didn’t blush at all.


End file.
